EC Design and Marketing | Blog

Lloyds Living the Dream - Issue 26

2011-03-04T14:59:00.004Z

With much fanfare we have now released issue 26 of Lloyds 'Living the Dream' Magazine. This is a lifestyle property publication aimed at high net worth individuals. We especially pleased to feature Calleija, Johnny Depp, Clive Christian, Ell & Cee and a Swedish super car.

We also feature the new menswear collection from Prada, Bovey Castle, E-Type Jaguar and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

The online version of the magazine can be viewed at: www.lloydslivingthedream.com

We are now working on the 27th edition and are looking for quality advertisers to be a part of this. If you feel that your brand is suitable to be represented in this issue, please contact Louise on 01202 753390 or e-mail louise@ecdesignltd.co.uk

EC Design Christmas 'Puzzle' Game

2010-12-22T10:18:00.006Z

We have launched our Christmas viral game and there is a iPod nano to win! Companies are finding online games a valuable addition to the marketing mix and getting them right appeals to your customer's playful side and has been shown to have a number of tangible benefits. Popular games spread awareness of your brand or product, and games can include a company message. Keeping 'hi-scores' not only increases a game's popularity but allows you to build a database of leads. Successful games are infectious, they make you want to play it over and over again and can then be sent to friends as a viral campaign. To play our Christmas 'puzzle' game please visit: www.ecdesignltd.co.uk/xmas10

We launch our new Essentia magazine

2010-12-10T11:11:00.002Z

We are delighted to launch Essentia. This is a new magazine concept in that it seeks to provide mutual benefits to both our readership and advertisers, and is committed to providing a quality publication that is inspiring and informative to our readership and contains a good balance of editorial covering fashion, interior design, health and beauty, travel and stories of local interest. It has been specifically created not to be advertising heavy or offer a lifestyle that is unattainable for our readership.

Distributed to 10k, ABC1 homes across the BH postcode area, this bi-monthly publication focuses on quality not quantity of life.

New Website for International Make-up Artist

2010-10-21T13:41:00.002+01:00

EC Design and Marketing are delighted to be launching a website to promote the Davinia Make-up Academy. The Academy is a specialist training school run by international make-up artist Davinia Fermi.

With over 15-years in the industry, Davinia has utilised her experience and contacts to create bespoke courses designed to give her students the best possible grounding and knowledge in all aspects of make-up and hair for fashion, media, film and TV.

Davinia is a highly-experienced make-up and hair artist whose work has appeared on TV and in music videos and countless glossy magazines internationally, including Tatler, Vogue, Harpers and Bazaar, Sports International and Numero.

Davinia has worked with photographers such as David Bailey and for clients including Virgin Atlantic, Rolex, Debenhams, Hackett and Louis Vuitton. Her celebrity "faces" have included Sharleen Spiteri, Vanessa Mae, Emma Bunton, Daniel Craig and many more actors and actresses. Davinia also helped create make-up looks for a long list of catwalk shows in London, Paris and Milan.

To find out more visit: www.makeupacademy.co.uk

Ageas re-brand internal launch

2010-10-12T16:37:00.004+01:00

EC Design and Marketing has been working with Fortis head office on the launch of the
re-brand to their internal stakeholders. We are currently communicating to all UK staff the new name change, through internal communication projects that include hula-hoop competitions, newsletters and office standees. We have co-ordinated all the activity throughout the UK to ensure that the re-brand information has been communicated effectively and to everybody at the same time.

We even managed to make sure that large branded cakes was delivered to every Fortis office and that every member of staff had a piece to celebrate the 'birth' of the brand. One of the highlights of the communication was the hula-hoop competition where every office had the chance to compete nationally for a prize, so far the longest time is over 5-hours!... a great brand, we had great fun with the launch!

A Super Craft Story

2010-09-29T12:20:00.002+01:00

EC Design and Marketing have just completed an exciting project with Craft Superstore... their first product brochure!

The brochure has been designed to clearly display a selection of their extensive product range with subtle crafting elements to inspire creativity and appeal to the avid ‘crafter’.

The Craft Superstore logo is mirrored throughout the brochure using its colours and shapes to leave a lasting impression of the brand.

We have previously worked with Craft Superstore on other marketing material including a series of promotional flyers.

We feature in Design Week!

2010-09-16T13:03:00.004+01:00

OK, it is pretty small, but nevertheless, we are proud that Design Week has featured our work...

Weymouth College 2011 Full-Time Prospectus

2010-09-11T20:50:00.005+01:00

We have just completed the design and production of the Weymouth College full-time Prospectus for 2011. We worked closely with their marketing department and students in producing an inspiring 120 page Prospectus aimed at future students wishing to find out about the college and courses on offer. We used exciting imagery and typography to create a distinctive style.

We also used real quotes from the students as well as famous quotations from inspirational celebrities and well know figures such as Muhammad Ali, Bill Gates and Sir Henry Royce.

This is the showpiece brochure for the college and we designed it to be extremely practical in size. A further consideration was to position Weymouth College in line with the Olympics in 2012 and to highlight to potential students, not only the vibrancy of the town, but ways to get involved through Ambassador and Worldskills opportunities. The cover reflects the sea and energy and we hope that the style appeals to not only existing students but future ones too.

New website for House of Destiny Church

2010-07-25T16:37:00.005+01:00

EC Design and Marketing have launched a new website for Bournemouth's leading church; House of Destiny. This is a fully interactive website and integrates key features such as an interactive events calendar, download of sermons and video diaries/blogs.

The new website shows the church to be more dynamic and engaging with its members and can be viewed at: www.houseofdestiny.org.uk/

Lloyds - Living the Dream Magazine - Issue 24

2010-06-17T09:16:00.004+01:00

With much fanfare we have now released issue 24 of Lloyds 'Living the Dream' Magazine. This is a lifestyle property publication aimed at high net worth individuals. We especially pleased to feature Harry Winston, Jay Z, Clive Christian and the new McLaren super car.

We also feature the new menswear collection from Tom Ford, the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park and Sarah Jessica Parker.

The online version of the magazine can be viewed at: http://www.lloydslivingthedream.com

We are now working on the landmark 25th edition and are looking for quality advertisers to be a part of this. If you feel that your brand is suitable to be represented in this issue, please contact Louise on 01202 753390 or e-mail louise@ecdesignltd.co.uk

Effective Business Magazine - Issue 2

2010-06-04T16:21:00.003+01:00

Following the amazing response we have from our readership, we have just released the second issue of 'Effective Business Today' in conjunction with the Effective Business Group International (EBGi). EBGi is the UK's number one unique, dynamic, connected community of SME businesses focused on promotion, communication and growth.

Issue 2 is full of great content for business owners who are looking for laser-targeted advice on overcoming today's business obstacles. This issue focuses on turning employees from sick notes to fit notes, how to gain collaborative advantage for their business and takes a look at the effect that the World Cup will have on business in South Africa from the people on the ground. The membership is constantly growing and the magazine has been sent to an opted-in audience of over 105k business owners/managing directors. The next edition is due mid-July.

For a free subscription to our magazine, please e-mail your contact details to hayley@ecdesignltd.co.uk

New identity for New Wave Ventures

2010-05-23T20:07:00.011+01:00

EC Design and Marketing have just completed the branding, stationery and website for New Wave Ventures.

New Wave Ventures is a privately owned fund seeking the opportunity to invest for the long term in companies with significant growth potential and is headed by two highly successful and well known entrepreneurs.

To view the website please visit: www.nwventures.co.uk

My Marathon Adventure!

2010-04-28T16:18:00.002+01:00

As many of you may have heard, I took part in the London Marathon on Sunday. This was my first ever marathon and I was amazed at the brilliant atmosphere and the crowd really carried us round. I managed to complete the 26.2 miles in 5 hrs and 37 minutes and have managed to raise approximately £3,500 for my charity, Tenovus, the cancer charity.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my supporters, without whom I wouldn't have made it. Their prayers, good wishes and donations were invaluable. I would particularly like to thank the Harbour Executive Club, D'Angibau LLP for their generous donation, the Print Room for hosting my marathon fundraiser and Sandy Wrigley and Nikken for loaning me their amazing sleep system which has enabled my body to recover from the effects of the marathon in 2 days!

Thank you all! I now have the running bug and am booked into do a half marathon and a 10-miler before the end of the year. Mad or dedicated? You decide!

New website launched for 'Hope'

2010-04-27T10:05:00.008+01:00

Hope Housing Training and Support Ltd was launched in 2009 to protect the young and vulnerable in Bournemouth. EC Design and Marketing have just re-branded and launched a new look and more engaging website. The aim of Hope is to provide supported housing, for single, homeless people and individuals completing rehabilitation treatment. Their vision within the Bournemouth and wider area is to see:

The improved lives of young addicts and vulnerable adults
A reduction in crime and its associated cost
Safer streets and a better protected public
Ex-offenders and potential offenders actively supported into work
Unlocking of police time and strains on the NHS
Restored public confidence in the law

EC Design and Marketing are proud to be working in conjunction with this very worthy charity.

EC Design and Marketing launch the first issue of Effective Business Today

2010-03-23T15:24:00.003Z

We are pleased to be launching the first edition of 'Effective Business Today' in conjunction with the Effective Business Group International (EBGi). EBGi is the UK's number one unique, dynamic, connected community of SME businesses focused on promotion, communication and growth.

This bi-monthly, online magazine is setting out to be a key provider of practical advice that growing businesses need/want to develop their marketing, administrative and physical infrastructures. The magazine has been sent to an opted-in audience of over 75k business owners/managing directors and the next edition is due mid-May.

For a free subscription to our magazine, please e-mail your contact details to hayley@ecdesignltd.co.uk

We re-brand Bournemouth!

2010-02-28T20:57:00.002Z

We are very proud to reveal the new branding for 'Meet Bournemouth'. This brand will be used by hoteliers and conference providers in Bournemouth to attract business from across the UK and internationally.

This new brand replaces the old BICB logo (Bournemouth International Conference Bureau) and there will be full roll-out shortly that will include brochures, guidelines and full stationery.

Edition 23 Lloyds 'Living the Dream' magazine

2010-02-04T14:21:00.005Z

With much fanfare we have now released issue 23 of Lloyds 'Living the Dream' Magazine. This is a lifestyle property publication aimed at high networth individuals. We especially pleased to feature in this issue Kate Moss with James Brown the celebrity hairdresser, Simon Cowell and we also have a 'red-hot' photoshoot from Agent Provocateur.

We also feature the latest Ferrari 458 Italia, Noma restaurant in Denmark and the Hotel President Wilson with the most expensive hotel suite in Europe.

The online version of the magazine can be viewed at: http://www.lloydslivingthedream.com

Italian Aroma Coffee

2010-01-15T16:04:00.006Z

We have had a busy start to 2010 in the internet department and so far we have designed and launched 3 new websites.

The latest site we have designed is for Italian Aroma Coffee. Based in Glasgow this is a highly respected producer of tailored roast coffee and they supply to the restaurant trade throughout the UK. Within the first week of the newly launched site they have received several quality new enquiries.

Clare Kavanagh Events launches new website by EC

2010-01-05T19:57:00.006Z

EC Design and Marketing have designed and built the new website for Clare Kavanagh Events, the prominent and highly regarded south coast based corporate events company.

At Clare Kavanagh Events, the Team has a passion for creativity and apply their vision and expertise to arrange product launches, conferences, award ceremonies, hospitality events for corporate and public sector clients, fundraising events for national charitable organisations and international festivals. To view their website please visit: www.clarekavanaghevents.co.uk

RIAS yearbook 2009

2009-11-08T21:08:00.003Z

EC Design and Marketing are very proud to have been commissioned for the 3rd year in a row to design and produce the RIAS yearbook. RIAS are a leading over 50s insurance company and the yearbook is used to highlight key information and successes to staff and stakeholders alike. It is also used as the main document for the Insurance Times Awards, which RIAS has again been nominated.

Lloyds 'Living the Dream' Magazine

2009-10-12T21:23:00.008+01:00

With much passion we have now released issue 22 of Lloyds 'Living the Dream' Magazine. This is a lifestyle property publication aimed at high networth individuals. We we especially pleased to feature in this issue Christina Aguilera modeling Stephen Webster exquisite diamond jewellery.

We also featured the Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce an awsome supercar with only 350 cars built with a price tag of £220K and with a top speed of 212mph. Lamborghini were so please with the feature that I was invited to Millbrook test circuit last Friday and got to finally take one out of the show room and onto a test track! - It took a while to get used to the 'Formula 1' style paddle shift gear change, but a few wheel spins later, no words can describe taking this beast from 0 - 190mph on the track straights, with gear changes at 8,000 revs!...

The Christina Aguilera photoshoot and Lamborghini features can be viewed on the online version of the magazine at: www.lloydslivingthedream.com

UP Premier - we 'raised' stacks of cash!

2009-10-12T21:07:00.004+01:00

EC Design and Marketing are proud to announce that over £2,000 was 'raised' on the night for Tenovus Cancer from the charity premier night of the new Disney/Pixar movie UP. Tenovus is the charity of choice or EC Design and Marketing and we carry out numerous fund raising projects for them.

Disney/Pixar - UP movie

2009-08-27T21:18:00.005+01:00

After the successful premier of Narnia Prince Caspian last year which we marketed, EC Design and Marketing have been asked to manage the charity advanced screenings of the new movie UP from Disney/Pixar. This is a charity event co-ordinated through our client Tenovus. All money raised will go towards this cancer charity. Keep an eye on our blog for dates and ticket prices, they will go 'up and away' fast!

Big Fish, Little Fish

2009-07-24T16:09:00.007+01:00

We our pleased to present ‘Big Fish, Little Fish’, which is our summer themed game. We have had a great time building and testing it, having found it very addictive to play, so we hope you also enjoy having a go. So far our highest score in-house is just shy of the 3000 mark… why not see if you can beat it!?

www.ecdesignltd.co.uk/summergame/

Fortis Newsletter

2009-07-24T15:08:00.002+01:00

We have just designed and produced the first edition newsletter for all Fortis Insurance staff in the UK. It was a very enjoyable and interesting project for us to take on. It was an opportunity for EC Design and Marketing to give a new direction to their monthly publication but still giving it the Fortis brand feel.

Fortis are running a competition to give the publication a name. And we look forward to receiving their suggestions

We are looking forward to putting together the next issue and our agency projects from financial sector continues to grow.

Lloyds Living the Dream Magazine

2009-07-16T22:50:00.002+01:00

EC Design and Marketing are producing the Lloyds Living the Dream Magazine and not BH Publications - we are producing issue 22.

Lloyds Living the Dream

2009-06-19T14:38:00.006+01:00

We are very proud to have been appointed to produce ‘Lloyds Living the Dream’, magazine, the ultimate lifestyle publication for the affluent and discerning. We reflect and showcase the best in luxury living, from homes and travel, fashion and trends, motoring and boating, capturing all that’s aspirational and must-have for our exclusive, high net-worth readership. We are not only producing the magazine but we are also managing all the media and articles. I have shown here a couple of sample spreads...we aim to take this magazine much more upmarket than previous issues with a set of exclusivity deals on advertising, coupled with an on-line directory.

‘Lloyds Living the Dream’ works for advertisers because it is a magazine of the highest quality, whose readers have the necessary income to buy the goods and services featured within its’ pages. Couple this with a distribution consisting of 15,000 copies being delivered directly to an ABC1 readership within Sandbanks, Canford Cliffs and surrounding areas throughout the region, plus a mailing list of exclusive Dubai and Russian contacts. This culminates in a readership of over 40,000.

Editorial content for the previous issue included George Clooney, Lamborghini, Dior, Danny Cipriani, Ferrari and Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. Advertisers included, Bentley, BMW, Jaguar, Bang & Olufsen and Rolex.

Our first edition is due shortly...

The website we have just launched can be found at:
www.lloydslivingthedream.com

W3C - The Right Web Standards

2009-06-02T16:30:00.008+01:00

A website that looks good on the surface, may not have been built in such a
way behind the scenes. If the HTML code has been built poorly or is
out-of-date, it will affect your search engine rankings and could
cause major problems with future Internet browsers.

A good web designer or agency like us, will build a website that complies
with the standards set out by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The W3C
are trying to get everyone to build to a set of rules, which will ensure
clean, precise and proper code. This should eventually solve the issues of
websites looking dissimilar in different browsers, as they will all be able
to process the code in the same way.

Search engines will naturally favour websites using the standardised code
and thus rank them higher.

To see if your website validates according to the standards, you can type
the URL of the website into the W3C’s validator. Alternatively, why not give us a call?!

http://validator.w3.org

Tips for building a Show, Exhibition or Expo website

2009-05-06T16:15:00.010+01:00

We have just launched the new website for The British Leisure Show, a brand new outdoor leisure show hosted next year at the Royal Windsor Racecourse.

We had a large amount of crucial information that needed to be presented to users in a clear and concise, yet fun way.

These type of Exhibition websites are aimed at three main user groups, all with different requirements:

Visitors to the show, especially families, who need to be persuaded into buying tickets by the quality of events, exhibitors, highlights or celebrities attending

Potential exhibitors, who need to be attracted into buying stand space by the quality of the show, the other exhibitors, sponsors, venue and packages on offer

The media or press who need to be convinced to promote the show through their media channels.

Designing a website for three different user groups will always be a difficult task.

We split up the website's navigation into these unique user areas, so users know exactly where to look for the information they require. Although some information (such as travel directions) is repeated, users do not have to leave their "area" to find any extra details.

The design, which utilises a colourful palette but with a basic white background, appeals to all users and ages without being too childish or too corporate.

It is also essential these days to market a show website via Web 2.0 technologies such as social networking sites, bookmarking sites and forums. We have offered all users direct links to some of these channels on every page. There will also be a Community area launched soon promoting the Blog, Facebook Group and Newsletters.

As many exhibitions or expos are fully accessible to disabled visitors, it is very important that websites are accessible and follow the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) to ensure the website complies with the Disability Discrimintaion Act. We made The British Leisure Show site follow all of Level A, and a large number of Level AA guidelines.

View the British Leisure Show website at www.britishleisureshow.com

Report and Accounts - a labour of love

2009-04-10T23:04:00.005+01:00

We have just recently designed and produced the Annual Report and Accounts for Teachers Building Society and it has been a real pleasurable and satisfying job to work on. It has been a while since I have designed my last Report and Accounts and I forgot just how typographically demanding they are.

Any designer who has produced a R&A will understand ‘tabs’ are crucial and accuracy of lining up text, numbers and brackets. Hours were spent agonising over column widths, lining up text and making sure ‘feed’ and ‘number kerning’ was consistent throughout. Our designer Wesley again excelled in producing highly accurate and consistent page layouts. Timescales were demanding as the final figures to be set were only released a few days prior to our print deadline, a challenge, but one we just thrived on!

I have just re-discovered my love again for R&A’s and the client was a pleasure to work with, which made the job even more satisfying to work on. We hope to get the opportunity to produce more R&A’s for other clients over the next financial year. If I was not a designer maybe I should have been an accountant…not!

Internet Explorer 6 - Why Upgrade?

2009-03-13T09:25:00.005Z

EC have noticed that 10-20% of our website users are viewing the site on Internet Explorer 6. With Internet Explorer 8 in beta stage (soon to be widely released), and other browsers such as Firefox or Chrome increasing in popularity, are there any benefits to using IE6 and why should you upgrade?

IE6 was originally released in 2001, and therefore in many ways the browser is 8 years out of date. Not only does this have an effect on the speed of browsing the Internet, the look of websites and website compatibility, but there are also major security issues. IE6 is still potentially only able to cope with with virus, malware and other security threats circa 2001-2003, and therefore it does not always have the capacity to deal with the modern, more complex threats that the newer browsers do.

Other criticisms of IE6:

• It does not support new web development technologies so web designers must use workarounds for IE6 to display web pages correctly, costing time and money in the process
• Any new websites not taking IE6 into account, may be displayed incorrectly or not work properly
• It tends to crash easily
• It takes longer to display webpages, as the software which takes HTML code and outputs it visually as a website is out of date
• It does not use tabbed browsing so a new window has to be opened for every website being viewed, and this may slow down the users' computer
• It does not 'anti-alias' text on webpages, which means fonts looked ragged at the edges
• It has always been very unpopular, and was voted the 8th worst technology product of all time by PC World in 2006

EC will continue to develop IE6-compatible websites until the software is obsolete, however if you agree with any of the criticisms, or are concerned about the security issues, it might be time to upgrade your browser:

IE7: www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/ie/getitnow.mspx
(or through Windows Update)
IE8 beta: www.tinyurl.com/cwk87j
Firefox: www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox
Google Chrome: www.google.com/chrome

Are you a freelance web developer/programmer?

2009-03-09T09:33:00.001Z

EC are looking for developers/programmers to work freelance for us on a number of varied and interesting web-based projects.

Freelancers should have:

- Excellent PHP and MySQL skills in order to build web applications and back-end website systems
- Experience developing websites within CMS frameworks such as Drupal or Joomla
- e-Commerce experience, such as setting up/building within Actinic, other shopping cart software, or building their own small shop management systems

They should also have some experience with building valid, accessible XHTML/CSS websites. Some ASP and Javascript knowledge would also be a bonus.

If you are interested please send your details, examples of work and hourly/daily rate to jodi@ecdesignltd.co.uk

Implementation, Rebranding and Design

2009-03-01T21:21:00.002Z

The majority of UK companies see a successful rebrand as a key way of weathering the recession, according to new research.

Implementation, Rebranding and Design, a report commissioned by branding consultancy the Principle Group, surveyed 250 marketing directors of blue chip companies and UK business owners and found that the majority recognise the importance of rebranding in a downturn and acknowledge the role of design in assisting business recovery. A few that is shared here at EC and the brands that we represent.

85% said that design can play an important role in generating a recovery for some brands. A successful rebranding was seen by 64% of UK business leaders as a route to gaining a competitive edge. Similarly, 63% agreed that a new identity signified a ‘bold embracing of change’.

“Any brand with the appetite to develop its identity in a recession demonstrates a willingness to challenge the market and a commitment to its businesses, services and products”.

The report shows a number of examples that includes Tesco retaining its ‘Every little helps’ approach and Aldi actively marketing and advertising its core ‘value’ proposition to a new audience of middle-class shopper. Also this month Citroen launched a new identity and according to Citroen Communications Director: “At a time when the bulk of the automotive industry is suffering a loss in confidence, we’re using the opportunity of a difficult climate to change the relationship with customers and show them that the company is reinventing itself”

In-fact in a way, us the designers should be communicating the strength and power of good design, its value and relevance to success for business owners and in this report 76% agreed.

Source: Principle Group

The top 5 Recession busting must-have website features for 2009

2009-01-16T14:32:00.006Z

1. Blog - with RSS/Atom feeds
They’re quick and easy to update, can be informal and can develop a large user base if the right content and appropriate sharing mechanisms are used. A blog can also be a way of encouraging two-way communications, engaging the user by giving them the ability to comment on posts and providing a research resource for consumers. All of this of course providing sound commercial benefits which may include an increase in website transactions and enquiries – and remember it is search engine friendly. You can also allow users to subscribe to your news and blog feeds via RSS/Atom, which not only helps to establish you as an authority in your area of business, but also encourages repeat visits and increased brand awareness and loyalty – all contributing to increased levels of sales.

2. Regularly updated content
One key factor in SEO is frequent updates to your site’s content – search engines will love you for it and this will certainly help your overall SEO strategy and rankings.

3. Customer reviews/testimonials
Taking the communication one step further and enabling customers to review you, your products and your service can open a valuable communications channel, whilst increasing customer confidence. Don’t be scared of bad reviews, they give you the chance to react and the opportunity to improve your service.

4. Offer something for free
Letting users access useful and interesting content will increase visits and may even encourage a viral buzz about your website on forums and other social networking sites. Informative articles, glossaries, help guides, downloadable PDF print-outs and so on can help to build brand loyalty with customers.

5. Newsletter sign up area
Your website could offer the functionality to allow visitors to sign-up for email newsletters quickly and simply. Users who have signed up can then be targeted about new products and services, which will increase repeat visits. By including deals and offers in these newsletters, it may also encourage users to forward them on to friends and family, promoting awareness of your brand.

What will 2009 bring?

2009-01-13T15:00:00.005Z

In the latest edition of Design Week it made interesting reading as journalists predict how our industry will fair in this recession. Plenty of advice but there was an article that caught me eye which was a ‘Vox – pop’ of opinion from our industry leaders. The question was ‘What do you hope 2009 will bring?’ I am inspired by the following responses.

“There is a great line by Woody Allen that goes ‘I’ve got my principles and if you don’t like them there are plenty more where they came from’ This coming year will need self belief and an absolute focus on which opportunities are the right ones, belief in what we do best, why we are doing it and who we should do it for”

My favourite was from one of my ex bosses – “2009 is going to be extremely tough, but I hope it will bring braver designers and even braver clients”

We hope 2009 will be a profitable and focused year. We will continue to deliver strategic quality brand marketing, good strong clean creative solutions for our clients to help them compete their way through the recession.

Viral games

2008-12-16T12:32:00.006Z

Companies are finding online games a valuable addition to the marketing mix and getting them right appeals to your customer’s playful side and has been shown to have a number of tangible benefits. Popular games spread awareness of your brand or product, and games can include a company message. Keeping ‘hi-scores’ not only increases a game’s popularity but allows you to build a database of leads. Successful games are infectious, they make you want to play it over and over again and can then be sent to friends as a viral campaign.

To make a successful viral game follow our simple tips:

Ensure that it is fun! People won’t play or spread the word if it is not a fun game.
Send out an appealing EDM (electronic direct mail) as an invitation to play.
Make access as easy as you can. Don’t over-complicate the rules or make people register before they play.
Keep the message simple.
Use the game as a possible new business tool.
People are there to play the game so their concentration will be focused on the game and not on some complicated sales message.
Incentivise responses. Make the user have a chance to win something of value.
Make sure you collect the data, analyse it and put it to good use.
Build a complementary microsite, with a unique web address.
Remember to exclude family and friends from winning any prizes.
Finally, make sure the game is noticed in the first place, leverage social media and email the game to everyone in your database (called seeding) and ask all of your employees to do the same. You may even want to invest in a mailing list.

EC Design have built numerous games on behalf of clients and they can be seen in our interactive part of our website. We have also launched our own Christmas game, which can be viewed at www.merrychristmasfromec.co.uk please have a go, the player with the top score will win a Nintendo Wii… good luck!

Five second test

2008-12-05T14:07:00.001Z

This has become my favourite website at the moment and it plays on the old rule that you can measure effectiveness within a website in 5 seconds, or that customers make up their minds about your website in 5 seconds. Basically you upload your test site and the users then see it for 5 seconds and then comments on it.

All anonymous so generally it will be a true statement.

Its great fun…The test works by seeing on screen an image/website for five seconds, then you choose your most and least favourite things about it.

Simple, but highly effective and you choose between creating a list of your 5 things you remember, compare design alternatives or identify strengths or weaknesses. It is a great exercise and a reminder on keeping things simple and effective.

Be warned…it is addictive once you start testing other peoples sites.

www.fivesecondtest.com

Website hosting resellers

2008-11-21T10:09:00.003Z

Website 'hosting' is essentially the space you 'rent' for your website to be housed. This space has to be on a physical server somewhere, which then provides Internet connectivity so that your site is on the World Wide Web. Hosting companies (such as Fasthosts, Easyspace, UK2 etc) own a series of servers, where they rent out space for a monthly or yearly fee. Web servers are very expensive, and technically complex, which is why few companies own them.

Many smaller web companies who offer hosting are actually 'resellers'. Despite acting as if they are hosting websites, they are actually renting a larger space on a hosting company's server and then 'sub-letting' smaller spaces from this.

In essence there is nothing wrong with this practice, as it is easier for clients to deal with their web company for everything relating to their website, and the web companies can organise their hosting accounts and billing more easily. However, in some cases it has turned simply into a way of making money.

The hosting companies charge the reseller web companies certain costs, and the resellers then charge the client more. Although extra cost is justified as they are acting as managers (setting it up, dealing with problems), the amount of time spent managing often does not warrant the inflated prices. A typical Fasthosts hosting plan costs under £50 a year. And yet EC has experienced some clients paying that amount monthly for the exact same hosting plan, but via a reseller.

Another issue is that these resellers cannot fix problems themselves as they do not own or hold the servers, so any problems have to be solved through a long chain of people from the client to the large hosting company. This is time consuming and can cost the client even more.

EC deals directly with Fasthosts to host clients' websites. We do not have a reseller account; we simply set up hosting with Fasthosts on behalf of the client. The client can choose for us to deal with Fasthosts and send them any bills, or we can pass on all of the hosting information needed and let them deal with Fasthosts directly.

We only charge what Fasthosts charge us.

We have a few ‘ologys’ up our sleeve

2008-10-27T13:44:00.002Z

Having listened into a few brain-storming sessions I thought I would share with you a few of the key buzz words in our studio at the moment which made me 'chuckle'. They are all real words and Eric and Hayley promise not to use them in their next presentation:

Tradigital - Traditional means to create digital work, such as screenprinting, illustration, proper pencil and drawing pad ideas (we are exploring this and practising this here at EC Design)

Trendology - The prediction of up and coming trends especially in fashion

Trendfluences - A shift in consumer behaviour influencing the purchase of products and services, very key analysis in our P.O.S. work.

Trendstorming - Open idea generation after thorough quantitative and qualitative research.

Banks corporate identity – what now?

2008-10-17T14:35:00.000+01:00

After monumental errors, nosediving share prices and the humiliation of nationalisation, the banking world has changed forever. So will their corporate identities, marketing and advertising adapt to fit the new realities?

It might seem that logos, commercials and colour schemes should be the last thing to occupy the banks right now, but surely campaigns and brands developed for a very different time (ie before last week) can no longer be appropriate? Ever since the early 90s, banks have been attempting to project a friendlier, less formal image. (In fact I was involved in the early 90’s of the Scottish Widows rebranding and seen this first hand – affectionately we christened this ‘the propeller’). Heraldic devices and serif type were ditched in favour of rounded edges and updated typography. It was all about innovation and modernity as banks started to project themselves as dynamic global brands, reflecting a shift in their management style and business aims.

So what happens now? In the UK, Royal Bank of Scotland, HBOS and Lloyds TSB have had to be baled out and part nationalised. Similar schemes have been introduced throughout Europe and in the US. The way we think of these institutions has changed completely. Instead of projecting themselves as friendly, casual, everything on a first-name basis, (Howard and the Halifax..) perhaps we’d like them to start acting a little more like they actually know what they’re doing? A bit more sober? A little more buttoned-up rather than dressed-down? I came across a great quote from Landor which explains. ‘Unfortunately this spirit of “innovation” is now more typically characterised as reckless risk-taking.”

Dynamism, innovation, modernity - these aren’t messages that we really want to hear from our banks at the moment and as we have a few live FS briefs in the studio at the moment, EC Design and Marketing are keeping our eyes open and ears to the ground so we understand this complex issue and overnight market shift.

Our banking institutions need to re-establish trust and confidence. Time to bring back the pin-stripes, PMS Blue 280 and the heraldry type logos?

I don’t think I want Howard to be my friend any more…

Internet users slow to embrace Google's Chrome

2008-10-16T14:03:00.002+01:00

It was predicted to be a giant among the many Internet browsers, but Google's Chrome has failed to impress users. At time of writing, the percentage of Internet users on Chrome is only 0.78%*, 6 weeks after its release.

The initial release had crashes, video playback issues, and very odd quirk when writing in a blog or comments field (see Computer World blog).

The latest version released this week promises to be more stable, and as Chrome is still in the beta stage Google predicts a much faster uptake in the months to come. However, at this stage EC are not re coding or testing Chrome compatibility until the number of users increases.

The broadening browser market is a test for web designers and developers, as each browser engine parses their code in a slightly different way. However, as new browsers or browser releases are developed with this is mind, we may be getting closer to a standardised browser engine, or at least a series of browsers which follow the same rules. We hope it does as this will reduce client costs as we have to test less and less for compatibility.

*According to netapplications.com

iPhone websites

2008-10-10T10:00:00.008+01:00

The iPhone is the perfect platform for companies that wants to get “friendly” with their customers that are on the move! We are increasingly being asked to advise on iPhone friendly websites and how they work.

Most websites are still viewable (but are NOT “friendly”) on the iPhone, because the user can zoom in so that text is legible, however this is not ideal for the user when they have to scroll across the screen a great deal more. You have to build your site specifically for mobile media. It is best not to exceed 320x480 pixels, which is one reason for having a separate website specifically for the iPhone.

The main reason for adopting a website dedicated to the iPhone is if your current site is purely flash based, or contains any Flash elements, such as Flash banners or embedded videos it will not be viewable on the iPhone or any other mobile devise. Also users are now wanting information on the move and companies need to be seen to be technologically savvy.
At EC Design we have tackled the issue of mobile friendly websites and believe companies should be seen as “early adopters’ to this new technology. If you are thinking of becoming an early adopter of an iPhone site, here are some useful tips:

The iPhone site should mirror your main site visually for design consistency
Design no larger than 320x480
Correct page size code - add a meta tag (<meta id="viewport" name="viewport" content="width=320;">) in the header section of your website code, makes your webpage compatible and friendly with iPhone browser
Minimize the code to as much extent as you can
Remember less is more
Prioritise key information
Contact details should be prominent

Effective Blogging

2008-10-08T12:35:00.002+01:00

We are being increasingly asked by our clients to set up blogs on their websites or ask us if it’s a good idea to let staff air their views. We think blogs are great and make strategic sense and we have listed below a few tips to get the most out of them

Make the subject matter easy
Pick topics that your company knows about and can write about regularly and would be interesting to your clients.

Capture the imagination
Use good and relevant headlines for your post titles. These will be picked up by the search engines so make them relevant to you.

Be strategic
As a business you need to be commercially aware on how your posts will be interpreted.

Choose the correct blog platform
Blogger and Wordpress are free for hosting and domains. We recommend Blogger for its ease of use.

Write for the search engines
Being an expert in your topic will raise your profile.

Don’t become a grumpy blogger!
Sounds simple, do not use blogs to moan and always have a ‘gate keeper’ to monitor.

Ensure you blog often
This will keep your views and ideas up to date and will improve your Google rankings.

Standard of C.V.s

2008-10-02T18:22:00.001+01:00

As you may have noticed on our main website, we are advertising for graphic designers and account handling staff. We have had quiet a few C.V.’s in from designers and the majority of them have been dull and the work seems to be very much the same. Don’t even get me started on poor typography!

To attract our attention you must do something out of the ordinary, create something unique and eye catching. Send us cream buns every day, stand outside our office with a loud hailer, print your C.V. in dayglow colours A1 size and send me a pair of retro Raybans! Anything until we issue a restraining order on you!

The point I am making is, make us notice you, stand out from the crowd. That way you will be at least guaranteed an interview.

Question Time

2008-09-23T22:29:00.005+01:00

Last week I was lucky enough to be in the audience of Question Time when it came to Bournemouth after the Liberal Democrat conference. It was a small audience of no more than 70 people and we were allowed on set before the politicians arrived. I was looking out for the ‘smoke and mirrors’ and all the staged TV moments, but the programme was shot in one take and shot live, no questions were rehearsed or given to the panel.

The experience reminded me of what it is like in our own agency, long gone are the days of dazzling clients with our industry brand of ‘smoke and mirrors’, or rely on a few mouse clicks and standard templates, you have to tell it like it is, show originality, be honest, have a point of view and consistently deliver our product to a very high standard.

Now does that sound like our politicians?

HTML emails

2008-09-23T14:17:00.013+01:00

It could be said that one of the hardest jobs in web design at the moment is the task of creating HTML emails (or e-Flyers, EDMs and so on) in which the design and build works perfectly across all browsers, web-based email clients, computer-based email clients and operating systems. I will outline a couple of the more unknown problems I have found and possible workarounds for these problems.

Cellspacing in web-based email clients in Firefox for PC

So you've managed to build a HTML email using tables, even though you feel like you are leaping back towards the late 90s. It looks great in Outlook 2007 (a mammoth task just on its own) and seemingly on all of the popular email clients (Yahoo! Mail, Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Hotmail, Google Mail, Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Entourage). And yet, viewing it on Hotmail and Gmail in Firefox 3.0 on a PC completely strips all of the cellspacing with no explanation.

So there isn't full support for margin, padding or now cellspacing (cellpadding seems to work perfectly).

The workaround?

The only way I found to make this work was to use a spacer.gif (a 1x1 pixel transparent GIF image) and increase the width and height of the image to force table cells to create the illusion of cellspacing. I remember doing this kind of workaround 7-8 years ago!

Background images or floating images in Outlook 2007

For some unknown reason, instead of Microsoft using the Internet Explorer engine to parse HTML emails as they did in Outlook 2003, when it came to Outlook 2007 they decided to switch to an MS Word engine. This means very little support for HTML (and almost no CSS); the main problem being how you can get the most out of images in your designs.

Background-image is not supported. Background (the non-validating bygone property for tables or tds) is not even supported. And you definitely cannot float text around an image. What does this mean? Very structured tabular designs with structured tabular images.

There isn't one. Just make sure that every image can be in its exact place without overlapping text or other images, and you can work it into a table structure without the need for text to float around it. Good luck!

A quick welcome

2008-09-22T12:22:00.008+01:00

Welcome to the brand new EC Design and Marketing blog. Here we will be keeping you up-to-date with all of the goings on at EC, as well as offering some tips and advice from the worlds of design, web and advertising. We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we enjoy writing it.

Please feel free to visit the main EC website, where you can take a look at our portfolio and maybe even drop us a line to let us know what you think.